African governments and SOEs owe China more than $150 billion and Covid-19 is limiting their ability to repay. Will this usher in debt-trap diplomacy or are Chinese lenders playing a longer game?

Covid-19 has refocused attention on the urgent need to address long-term structural healthcare issues in Africa. Investors are now looking to put money to work in healthcare and banks are seeing an uptick in demand for project financing.

The country will bounce back, but it’s still a bumpy ride for investors, with resources stretched until the crisis calms down.

The six exchange-rate system is now untenable, with the currency losing more than 50% of its value since October, but analysts say floating the currency will cause more pain without IMF support.

Private creditors and the Paris Club have agreed to collaborate on a debt standstill for low-income countries, but the process must be handled with care to avoid being more punitive than helpful.

Profit pressure is a threat to every bank, says Qatar Islamic Bank’s group CEO Bassel Gamal, discussing how Qatar’s robust and well-capitalized banking sector is navigating the twin shocks of lower oil prices and coronavirus.

Euromoney’s country risk survey presents a mixed picture of risk for the Middle East and North Africa, with some countries more able than others to withstand the pandemic and depressed oil market.

Citi’s chief executive for Kenya and east Africa tells Euromoney how Kenya’s banks have come together to buy ventilators; how Covid-19 will accelerate the adoption of digital banking; and why the removal of the interest rate cap is more important than ever for Kenya’s SMEs.

EIB looks to help the most vulnerable and to encourage banks to take on more risk as it unveils a €5.2 billion package for non-EU countries.

Dubai raises funding amid perfect storm of Covid-19, economic slowdown and falling oil prices.

Amid calls by the UN and the G20 for the private sector to do more, Citi has proposed a $100 billion coronavirus fund.

The IFC’s Africa and Middle East head, Sérgio Pimenta, tells Euromoney that a fast response and private-sector support are essential in the battle against Covid-19.

As Egypt ramps up measures to contain the coronavirus, CIB chairman Hisham Ezz Al-Arab tells Euromoney how the 2011 revolution has left the bank well prepared to deal with the current crisis.

Stakeholders agree that debt relief for Africa is essential, but are mulling what form this might take.

The Gulf’s largest economy is facing unprecedented challenges from the coronavirus Covid-19 and oil at $30 a barrel. Has diversification under Vision 2030 done enough to help Saudi Arabia weather the storm or will it be forced to abandon its dreams of diversification?

Lebanon’s banks are on the brink as the country looks to restructure its debt. Could rich depositors, who have for years enjoyed inflated interest rates, be called on to take a hit?

The fall in the oil price will benefit oil-importing countries such as Kenya, but the benefits may be lost because of the African continent's over-reliance on trade with China.

Gulf central banks have unveiled big stimulus packages but commercial banks need to transmit this to the real economy – difficult to do when appetite for credit is so low.

Africa’s oil exporters are feeling the pressure after the crash in the oil price and fears of the coronavirus Covid-19, as investors pull money from international bond markets.

A double shock of Covid-19 and falling oil prices brings the spectre of recession to the Gulf, while efforts to diversify economies are being derailed.

The recent collapse in the oil price and Nigeria's (lack of) reaction to it echoes the way the country dealt with the crisis in 2015. Repetition of the same mistakes will only cause harm for Africa's largest economy.

The sovereign borrower, it seems, will lose its last remaining investment grade, as the risks accentuate.

Expo 2020 showcases economic and business opportunities in Dubai. Bankers hope it will lead to a boom in areas such as SME lending and infrastructure investment, but worry that a short-term lift will not be enough to dispel broader concerns about the country’s economy.

Despite MSCI index inclusion and a landmark trade by Saudi Aramco, global funds are still $70 billion underweight Gulf equities, but the UAE and Saudi are making progress in deepening markets.

Persistent ethnic violence and debt-servicing risks should be making investors cautious, despite progress with an IMF programme.

DP World is planning to delist from the Nasdaq Dubai in a move that directly contradicts the UAE’s efforts to improve liquidity and diversity in its domestic exchanges.

As birth rates fall and the UAE government looks at ways to spur population growth, private equity firms see opportunities in IVF.

Authorities are seeking to honour upcoming debt repayments, but more needs to be accomplished to restore market confidence, with the economy in a spin.